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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.

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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: bulb · wound · bass · bank · field · shower · craft · content

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — of a river
  13. content — happy
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. field — farmland
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — rain
  23. bass — low music
  24. 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