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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. firm — a company
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — a box
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. field — a subject
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — for sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — farmland
  22. bank — for money
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — an amount

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