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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: bound · game · pound · bank · cabinet · degree · shower · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bank — of a river
  3. degree — an amount
  4. shower — rain
  5. rash — a series
  6. degree — temperature
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — certain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a match

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