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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: cabinet · march · bank · straw · stand · band · net · shower

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. band — a music group
  3. bank — for money
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. march — music
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. net — in sport

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