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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · band · bank · degree · scale · rash · wound · bay

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bank — of a river
  3. band — a music group
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bank — for money
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. band — a rubber band

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