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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mate — to breed

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