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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: leaves · bank · row · degree · sharp · chip · swing · fork

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chip — to eat
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — temperature
  18. swing — to play on
  19. row — a line
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fork — in a road
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. row — to paddle

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