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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: field · bay · shower · bank · trunk · spring · lash · chair

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bank — of a river
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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