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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bank — of a river
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bass — low music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the fish

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