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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: pitcher · degree · wound · stem · bowl · cue · bank · dip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stem — to come from
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bowl — a dish
  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