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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: spring · pass · band · degree · pitcher · row · net · bear

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a ring
  12. row — a line
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a music group
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — a coil
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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