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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — to wash
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. bank — of a river
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. object — to protest
  24. degree — temperature

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