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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · fan · cue · fork · mine · scale · leaves · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a hint
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fork — in a road
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — from a university
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bank — for money
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fan — a supporter

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