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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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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: firm · game · bank · degree · scale · mate · pass · spring

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. firm — a company
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. firm — decided
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bank — for money
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. firm — steady
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — to breed

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