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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: clip · perch · degree · foot · field · bay · coach · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. degree — temperature
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — the fish
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — a video
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — a measure
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — an amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — a subject
  22. bank — for money
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. foot — the bottom

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