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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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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: bound · row · rash · cold · bank · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — rain
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bank — of a river
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rash — a series
  13. bank — for money
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cold — the Cold War

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