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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · shower · fork · tear · march · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — in a road
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. shower — to wash

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