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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 · spring · bass · mark · wax · deal · safe · degree

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — a grade
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. degree — from a university
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. band — a music group
  19. spring — of water
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mark — to pay attention

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