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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spring — the season
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — for catching
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — of water
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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