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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. degree — temperature
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. track — a song
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — an explosive

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