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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bank — for money
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. capital — money
  9. object — a thing
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — temperature
  15. capital — a city
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. degree — from a university
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. trunk — of a tree

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