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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · field · plane · bank · file · degree · perch · march

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — a subject
  3. file — a tool
  4. march — the month
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. field — farmland
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — temperature
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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