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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: present · degree · hand · bear · firm · hide · band · pitcher

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — in cards
  4. present — the time now
  5. firm — a company
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — decided
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — a gift
  15. degree — from a university
  16. firm — steady
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — there
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bear — to put up with
  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