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

Word bank: pound · toast · bank · degree · field · wind

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. 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. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. toast — bread
  12. degree — an amount
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wind — moving air
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. 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