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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: stand · band · degree · stick · bass · bay · spell · bark

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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