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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · cell · firm · bore · band · staff · season · degree

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. firm — decided
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — a company
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — steady
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cell — in biology
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — to shout
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — temperature
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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