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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: shower · bank · suit · degree · season · board · can · wake

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — in sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wake — a trail
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bank — for money
  11. suit — in cards
  12. board — a committee
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — temperature
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — clothes
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — a tin

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