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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — low music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. snap — to click
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — the sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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