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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fork — in a road
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — to come from
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. degree — from a university
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. object — a thing
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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