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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 116 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 · degree · bore · can · fine · game · capital · bank

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. capital — a city
  4. bore — to drill
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bank — of a river
  11. can — to be able to
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — money
  14. bank — for money
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fine — all right
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — rain

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