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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 112 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: file · degree · staff · mug · content · bank · land · charge

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. staff — a stick
  3. land — ground
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — a country
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bank — of a river
  8. charge — in control
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — a price
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a tool

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