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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. shower — rain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a line
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — an illness
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. row — to paddle
  22. root — of a word
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cold — not warm

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