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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: current · band · stand · wake · firm · tube · kid · degree

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — a container
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. degree — temperature
  7. current — of water
  8. firm — a company
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. current — happening now
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a music group
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — to tease
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a ring

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