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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bound — certain
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — for sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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