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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.

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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — the fish
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — a division
  22. capital — money
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a city

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