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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — hurry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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