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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: wind · board · bank · dip · plane · rash · shower · spring

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. board — a committee
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bank — of a river
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. board — to get on
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — a series
  17. spring — of water
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — the season
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. shower — rain

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