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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: temple · racket · leaves · fan · band · swing · rule · degree

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — government
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. swing — in golf
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. band — a music group
  16. swing — to play on
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rule — a law
  24. racket — for tennis

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