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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 116 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 the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a leader
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bank — for money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. degree — from a university
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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