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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. object — to protest
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — of a river
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — low music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. degree — an amount
  11. key — in music
  12. bank — for money
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. file — a tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. degree — temperature
  23. object — an aim
  24. rash — hasty

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