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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — for money
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bank — for money
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. field — a subject
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. field — for sport

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