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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: craft · present · cell · bank · swing · degree · mouse · wound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cell — a phone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bank — of a river
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. craft — boats
  13. present — there
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. present — the time now

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