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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.

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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: calf · spring · firm · bass · band · pound · field · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — of water
  5. firm — decided
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. band — a ring
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — for sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. firm — a company
  13. field — farmland
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — a subject
  24. degree — an amount

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