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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: coach · degree · jam · object · safe · squash · band · bass

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. object — a thing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bass — the fish
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — an amount
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. object — to protest
  21. squash — to crush
  22. object — an aim
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. squash — the vegetable

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