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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: ground · rash · degree · bank · wind · content · pass · craft

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. ground — a position
  3. craft — boats
  4. rash — a series
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. content — happy
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ground — crushed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  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