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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · bank · spring · roll · bat · chest · lie · degree

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. degree — temperature
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — the season
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — of water
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — for money
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — a list

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