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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. squash — to crush
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — in sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stem — to come from
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — the vegetable

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