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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: ground · fan · bank · game · shower · staff · degree · stick

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — employees
  6. bank — of a river
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — rain
  10. staff — employees
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ground — the earth
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. degree — an amount
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — temperature
  24. game — a kind of play

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