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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: shower · straw · face · trunk · bank · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — in sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bank — of a river
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to confront
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bank — for money

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