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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 116 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: nail · shower · wake · racket · craft · cold · bank · wave

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — boats
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bank — for money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. shower — rain
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cold — an illness

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