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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: cap · stick · degree · bear · bank · race · rash · snap

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — humankind
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bank — of a river
  13. race — a contest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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