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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: content · rush · straw · bank · bowl · degree · spell · face

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spell — magic
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. face — to point toward
  13. content — happy
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. face — to confront
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spell — letters
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bowl — a football final

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