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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: degree · bass · fall · chip · bank · arm · mate · nail

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bank — for money
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bass — low music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — for betting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — to breed

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