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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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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bank — for money
  10. shower — rain
  11. degree — temperature
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. last — final
  15. root — of a word
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — the cause
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitch — completely
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — of a plant
  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