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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: bass · pound · tear · band · squash · degree · pitcher · face

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. degree — an amount
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a ring
  7. squash — to crush
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to point toward
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. face — to confront
  21. degree — from a university
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — from crying

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