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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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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — a thing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. degree — an amount
  10. band — a ring
  11. scale — size or range
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. degree — temperature
  15. band — a music group
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. object — to protest
  19. vault — a safe
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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