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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 · rule · safe · track · wound · bore · net · degree

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. band — a music group
  5. track — a path
  6. band — a ring
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bore — to tire
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. net — after costs
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — to drill
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — a law
  17. track — a song
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rule — government
  24. degree — temperature

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