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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: band · mate · temple · degree · racket · straw · rash · stick

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. band — a music group
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mate — to breed
  19. degree — temperature
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mate — a friend

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