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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. land — ground
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — to come down
  6. bat — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — to wash
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bank — for money
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — rain
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young 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