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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 116 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: chair · band · trunk · degree · mug · pop · wake · stand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — an amount
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pop — soda
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pop — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a face
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — temperature
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pop — to visit

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