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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chest — a box
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chip — to eat
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — a position

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