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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — rain
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — the month
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — for money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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