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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cell — a phone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cell — in biology
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. scale — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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