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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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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: season · dip · degree · race · content · cue · row · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cue — a signal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — to sink
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — an amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — the arms race
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. content — happy
  17. race — a contest
  18. cue — for pool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. race — humankind

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