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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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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: present · degree · wind · mouse · bank · pass · net · fork

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. present — a gift
  4. net — for catching
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — of a river
  13. present — there
  14. fork — in a road
  15. net — in sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bank — for money
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. degree — an amount

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