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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: key · shower · stem · hand · fan · bank · pit · ball

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — in music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stem — to come from
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — help
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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