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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a line
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rock — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — a stone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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