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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · charge · row · arm · bank · wound · mine · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bank — of a river
  6. charge — electricity
  7. row — a line
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. craft — boats
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — for money
  13. charge — a price
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — rain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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