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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mug — a face
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a document
  11. bank — for money
  12. shower — rain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — a cup
  24. file — a tool

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