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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: shower · band · content · ruler · kid · kick · sharp · bank

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bank — of a river
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a ring
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kid — child
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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