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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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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 · file · kid · racket · degree · pound · safe · stand

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a music group
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a ring
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. degree — temperature
  7. file — a document
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — an amount
  24. safe — a strongbox

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