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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: mouse · rule · kid · bank · shower · rest · scale · swing

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rule — a law
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — rain
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — in music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — in golf
  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