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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: jam · wound · band · stock · degree · board · fine · can

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. band — a ring
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. band — a music group
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stock — goods
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. can — a tin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. board — to get on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — a tin

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