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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mug — a face
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cold — an illness
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — not warm
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — a cup
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bass — low music
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — for money
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. shower — rain
  24. mug — to rob

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