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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: rush · bank · sharp · shower · kick · ground · swing · can

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ground — a position
  7. bank — for money
  8. swing — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ground — the earth
  16. shower — rain
  17. swing — to play on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — a tin

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