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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cold — an illness
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kick — in football
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — a thrill

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