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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — an amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — to come down
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — for catching
  18. land — a country
  19. net — in sport
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — for money
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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