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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: degree · firm · wake · pitch · cabinet · spring · bass · band

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. firm — steady
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bass — low music
  11. spring — of water
  12. firm — a company
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — decided
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. degree — temperature

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