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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: squash · degree · bass · file · wave · bank · ground · band

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ground — crushed
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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