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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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Word bank
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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: lie · bank · degree · race · mate · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bank — of a river
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bank — for money
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mate — a partner
  16. race — a contest
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bank — for money

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