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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bank — for money
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fine — all right
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — rain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fine — high quality
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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