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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: bank · degree · tube · chair · cell · bear

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bank — for money
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bear — to put up with

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