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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · band · land · wave · degree · mouse · wake · nail

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. band — a music group
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rash — a series
  14. land — ground
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — temperature

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