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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: bore · straw · degree · cabinet · band · content · saw · rock

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rock — a stone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. content — happy
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a music group
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — the amount
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bore — to tire
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. saw — the tool

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