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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: ground · scale · jam · shower · degree · track · march · stick

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. march — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. scale — in music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — crushed
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. scale — size or range
  24. track — a path

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