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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — to keep secret

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