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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — rain
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bank — for money
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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