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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — temperature
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — a break
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. current — electric
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — help
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — happening now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bank — of a river

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