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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: snap · band · toast · bear · net · scale · degree · straw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — for catching
  9. bear — the animal
  10. toast — bread
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — from a university
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — temperature
  23. snap — to click
  24. scale — for weighing

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