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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · mine · row · temple · bay · fine · staff · spring

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — high quality
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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