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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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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 · cap · degree · ground · roll · current · toast · lean

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ground — crushed
  5. toast — bread
  6. current — of water
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — thin
  10. ground — a position
  11. roll — a cake
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cap — of ice
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cap — a hat
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — from a university

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