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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 120 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: pitcher · stock · content · last · leaves · degree · mug · bank

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — from a university
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — the amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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