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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: track · jam · degree · content · stick · straw · bank · wind

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — temperature
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. track — to keep track
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — of a river
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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