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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: pitch · deal · bank · bass · shower · bark · rush · wound

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. deal — to handle
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bass — low music
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitch — completely
  11. shower — rain
  12. bank — for money
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitch — a sports field

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