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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: bank · bass · pound · degree · saw · fine · content · spell

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spell — a short time
  17. content — happy
  18. bass — low music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. content — the amount
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fine — all right

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