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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bass — low music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. can — a tin
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. can — a tin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rock — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. can — to be able to
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. shower — rain
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bank — for money
  21. march — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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