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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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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: stick · object · band · craft · degree · wave · swing · clip

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. degree — temperature
  4. swing — music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. swing — to play on
  7. craft — boats
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. craft — a skill
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. band — a ring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — a thing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. band — a music group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. craft — a handicraft

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