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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bank — for money
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. current — of water
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. current — electric
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — in football
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — to get on
  16. face — to confront
  17. bank — of a river
  18. tube — a container
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. board — a committee
  21. face — part of the head
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — happening now
  24. shower — to wash

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