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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — a committee
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. degree — an amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — a weight
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — an injury

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