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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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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: shower · chair · bank · dip · rule · band · mouse · present

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. band — a ring
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. present — a gift
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. band — a music group
  17. present — there
  18. rule — a law
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rule — government
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mouse — the animal

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