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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: row · mug · bank · degree · land · kick · vault · net

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mug — to rob
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. net — after costs
  12. kick — in football
  13. degree — temperature
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a line

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