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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bank — of a river
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tube — a container
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bank — for money
  23. deal — to handle
  24. drill — army training

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