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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · squash · pound · band · key · file · degree · scale

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. band — a music group
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. degree — from a university
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. degree — temperature
  10. band — a ring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fall — the season
  14. file — a document
  15. degree — an amount
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — for a lock
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com