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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · temple · row · bear · degree · file · foot · stock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — temperature
  9. row — to paddle
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — from a university

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