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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: bore · bat · kick · mine · lie · degree · jam · bank

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to drill
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — of a river
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bore — to tire
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bank — for money
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — in football
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bank — for money
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mine — belonging to me

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