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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. bank — for money
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bank — for money
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — of ice
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bank — of a river
  23. degree — an amount
  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