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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cue · wound · roll · bank · tube · degree · file · craft

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. craft — a skill
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bank — of a river
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — for pool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — for money
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — the underground
  22. file — a line of people
  23. degree — temperature
  24. craft — boats

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