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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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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: pop · band · temple · calf · stick · rest · fall · degree

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pop — soda
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. rest — a break
  24. temple — a place of worship

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