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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: bank · degree · track · dip · straw · hide · rest · mark

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rest — a break
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — an amount
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mark — a grade
  18. track — a path
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — from a university
  21. track — a song
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mark — to pay attention

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