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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bank — for money
  9. degree — temperature
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — an amount
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. current — of water
  17. degree — from a university
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. snap — to click
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. date — the fruit
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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