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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. degree — from a university
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — there
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bank — for money

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