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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — for money
  3. row — a line
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. row — to paddle
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bank — of a river
  15. snap — to click
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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