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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 120 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 · straw · key · stand · lie · racket · can · degree

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — a tin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. can — to be able to
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a music group
  24. stand — on your feet

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