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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: can · perch · pass · degree · wake · band · rest · temple

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a ring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wake — a trail
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. band — a music group

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