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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: staff · rock · ruler · bank · mouse · capital · degree · rash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. staff — employees
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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