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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · mark · degree · fine · land · bank · pass · shower

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. land — to come down
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — a country
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bank — for money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. degree — from a university

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