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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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 · mug · racket · nail · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — for money
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spell — magic
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — a face
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. shower — rain
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mug — to rob

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