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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: wake · sharp · shower · chest · object · bank · jam · march

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — the month
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. march — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wake — a trail
  15. object — a thing
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — to protest
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — rain
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chest — of your body

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