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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: band · mug · degree · ruler · straw · stand · squash · spell

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. band — a ring
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a cup
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — letters
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — to crush
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. degree — an amount
  20. band — a music group
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — to bear
  24. mug — to rob

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