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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: tube · band · mate · degree · plane · present · pop · jam

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — a container
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. plane — a tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. present — the time now
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. degree — an amount
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pop — to visit
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. present — there
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. present — a gift
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mate — to breed

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