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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
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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: arm · band · season · degree · stock · squash · date · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. degree — temperature
  3. band — a music group
  4. stock — goods
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — in sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. season — of the year
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a ring
  23. degree — from a university
  24. band — a rubber band

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