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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: rock · bank · land · pass · bat · chip · degree · pop

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. land — ground
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bank — for money
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bank — of a river
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pass — a permit
  14. land — to come down
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — a country
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — in an idiom

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