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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: suit · ruler · content · stem · swing · ground · degree · band

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. swing — music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — to come from
  15. degree — temperature
  16. band — a music group
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ground — the earth
  22. suit — clothes
  23. ground — a position
  24. degree — from a university

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