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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. object — a thing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — temperature
  5. object — to protest
  6. bank — of a river
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — a lid
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — for money
  19. object — an aim
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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