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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. key — the most important part
  3. can — to be able to
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. bank — for money
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — a hat
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. can — a tin
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. band — a music group
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — to sink

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