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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · object · mine · lie · spell · degree · band · bay

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. degree — an amount
  3. content — the amount
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. object — to protest
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — temperature
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — letters
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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