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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: hide · court · present · nail · degree · stand · bank · band

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. band — a ring
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — there
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — for money
  17. present — the time now
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. present — a gift
  22. stand — to bear
  23. court — of a king
  24. stand — for spectators

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