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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: band · temple · mug · pass · jam · degree · wind · bay

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a face
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. band — a music group
  8. pass — a permit
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. band — a ring
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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