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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 120 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: fan · nail · kick · bank · root · shower · club · chest

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chest — a box
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a plant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. root — of a word
  7. kick — in football
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — a group
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — for money
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. club — for golf
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — the cause
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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