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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: net · degree · safe · present · ground · hand · bank · saw

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — a gift
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bank — for money
  20. present — the time now
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. present — there
  24. bank — for money

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