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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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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: ground · degree · bank · lie · patient · mug · bark · fine

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fine — high quality
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — a face
  11. ground — the earth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — to rob
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ground — a position
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fine — all right

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