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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: drill · racket · bank · suit · spring · degree · rash · bound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — an amount
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bank — of a river
  24. racket — for tennis

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