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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: degree · perch · march · bank · bear · kid · cabinet · shower

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. kid — child
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bank — for money
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bank — for money
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — the fish

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