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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: degree · rush · net · bank · file · pound · march · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — after costs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — in sport
  24. bank — of a river

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