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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: board · pitcher · cabinet · degree · squash · land · tube · band

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. land — to come down
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a ring
  17. board — a committee
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. board — to get on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — a container

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