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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 120 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a match
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — to wash
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — the animal

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