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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: shower · land · degree · date · present · mouse · fan · branch

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — rain
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — a gift
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — from a university
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — there
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — a division
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. land — to come down

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