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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — wild animals
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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