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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — to go on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — final
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fall — the season
  12. fine — all right
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. last — finally

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