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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: cue · wake · ball · band · dip · degree · stem · chip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cue — a hint
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — to come from

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