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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: land · bank · degree · arm · vault · sharp · mug · mine

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mine — for digging
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. bank — of a river
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. land — ground
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mug — a face

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