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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: mouse · fan · degree · lash · temple · game · band · pitcher

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a ring

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