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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: march · degree · fall · racket · nail · bank · bat · row

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — from a university
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bank — for money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — a line
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fall — the season
  12. row — to paddle
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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