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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · swing · degree · object · bank · bear

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — a thing
  7. bank — of a river
  8. swing — music
  9. rule — a law
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rule — government
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. object — an aim
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — to rule out

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