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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · face · chair · shower · bank · prune · fan · bat

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bank — of a river
  7. shower — rain
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — to confront
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bank — for money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bat — for baseball

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