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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bank — for money
  5. root — the cause
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bank — for money
  15. rash — a series
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — of a word
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bank — of a river

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