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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · content · tube · perch · ball · pop · leaves · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pop — music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ball — a great time
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. content — the amount
  16. ball — a dance
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. content — happy
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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