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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · degree · mine · wake · pass · lie · bank · track

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. track — a path
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bank — for money
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pass — to spend time

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