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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: shower · track · pound · bank · wake · degree · plane · season

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bank — for money
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. track — a path
  11. shower — to wash
  12. track — a song
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — an amount
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — from a university
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — a weight

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