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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: drill · mark · wake · bear · degree · bowl · band · cabinet

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a ring
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — a trail

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