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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 120 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: degree · scale · charge · bank · court · fine · leaves · wound

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — for sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bank — for money
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — of a king
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bank — for money
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. court — of law
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wound — an injury
  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