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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a face
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — of a river
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — in music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. date — on the calendar

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