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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: swing · race · face · deal · degree · stem · bank · lean

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. face — part of the head
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — to bend
  14. race — a contest
  15. face — to confront
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stem — to come from
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bank — for money
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. race — humankind

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