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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 116 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.

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 · band · spring · dip · rash · bank · bass · cell

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. spring — a coil
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — from a university
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — a series
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cell — in biology

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