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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bank — for money
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. spell — letters
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — rain
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. board — a committee
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — magic
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. bank — of a river

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