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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mark — a trace
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — the season
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cue — a signal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a grade
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bank — of a river
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cue — a hint
  20. shower — rain
  21. ground — a position
  22. cue — for pool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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