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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: degree · file · pitcher · nail · mate · bore · band · lean

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to bend
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a music group
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mate — a partner
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bore — to drill
  24. lean — thin

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