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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: fall · saw · band · mug · wound · degree · scale · bowl

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — in music
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — a face
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — to rob
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — temperature

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