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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: bank · roll · ground · foot · shower · wax · march · degree

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — an amount
  7. march — the month
  8. roll — a list
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. degree — from a university
  13. shower — to wash
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. shower — rain
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ground — a position
  22. foot — a measure
  23. march — music
  24. wax — to grow

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