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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 120 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: ball · degree · band · rock · prune · object · straw · pop

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. band — a music group
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pop — soda
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rock — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ball — a dance
  24. object — a thing

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