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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 · march · cell · ground · tube · chip · prune · degree

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — a container
  9. degree — an amount
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ground — a position
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ground — crushed
  18. march — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — to eat

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