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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 120 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: fork · band · leaves · squash · content · degree · swing · can

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. can — a tin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. squash — to crush
  10. can — to be able to
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — to play on
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. swing — in golf
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a ring
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. band — a music group
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fork — in a road

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