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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
468
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: pop · bowl · scale · file · band · stick · lie · degree

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a line of people
  3. band — a ring
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lie — to recline
  17. degree — temperature
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — soda
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a document
  23. pop — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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