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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.

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: stem · degree · scale · patient · content · drill · bank · net

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. bank — for money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. net — in sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. content — happy
  17. drill — the tool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — after costs
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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