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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — a position
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fine — high quality
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. file — a document

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