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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mark — a grade
  3. branch — a division
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. firm — a company
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a trace
  9. degree — from a university
  10. craft — a skill
  11. race — the arms race
  12. craft — boats
  13. firm — steady
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. race — a contest
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — humankind
  19. firm — decided
  20. bank — of a river
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. degree — temperature

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