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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. object — a thing
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bank — for money
  10. object — to protest
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. object — an aim
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bank — of a river
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — with your hand

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