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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: lean · jam · wave · band · degree · mouse · rash · sharp

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lean — to bend
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a ring
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. band — a music group
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — a series
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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