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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: foot · degree · perch · plane · game · bank · rush · club

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bank — of a river
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bank — for money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. plane — a tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. club — a group
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — an amount
  24. plane — in geometry

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