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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · band · degree · toast · branch · can · scale · bowl

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. degree — an amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pit — a hole
  8. branch — a division
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. can — to be able to
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a ring
  23. toast — bread
  24. branch — of a tree

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