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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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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: band · chest · mouse · track · degree · temple · pound · fall

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. band — a music group
  7. fall — the season
  8. pound — a weight
  9. track — a song
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — to drop
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  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