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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: temple · toast · shower · bank · tear · club

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. toast — bread
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — to rip

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