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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 116 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: spring · row · rule · bank · shower · wax · straw · pit

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rule — a law
  12. spring — of water
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — the season
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bank — for money
  20. rule — government
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — rain
  24. bank — for money

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