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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: bank · temple · degree · stick · game · wake · pitch · bear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — completely
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. degree — from a university

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