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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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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: deal · stand · degree · band · root · pitcher · kid · can

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stand — to bear
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a ring
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. band — a music group
  22. root — of a word
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitcher — a jug

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