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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: band · bay · mine · suit · calf · land · season · degree

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. suit — in cards
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. band — a music group
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — a country
  23. suit — to fit
  24. calf — a young animal

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