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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 120 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: mine · bank · staff · degree · stick · pitch · bowl · wave

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — of a river
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — an amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. staff — employees

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