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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: wave · shower · kid · bank · band · saw · kick · track

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. band — a music group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bank — of a river
  18. track — a path
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — in football

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