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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: season · bowl · craft · press · capital · pitcher · degree · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. capital — money
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — temperature
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. degree — from a university
  18. press — newspapers
  19. craft — boats
  20. press — a publisher
  21. craft — a skill
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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