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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — of a river
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bank — for money
  18. fork — in a road
  19. dip — to sink
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — temperature
  23. row — a line
  24. fork — to eat with

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