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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. degree — from a university
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bank — of a river
  7. dip — to sink
  8. file — a tool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. file — a line of people
  24. dip — to dunk

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