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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: shower · temple · bass · hand · bank · mine · deal · charge

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bank — of a river
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — rain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bass — low music
  15. hand — help
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. charge — in control
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — the fish
  24. charge — a price

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