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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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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: date · degree · bank · chip · vault · stem · stick · cabinet

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chip — to eat
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bank — of a river
  12. degree — temperature
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — the fruit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — from a university
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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