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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: capital · pop · bank · ball · lean · rock · rash · shower

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rock — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — rain
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pop — soda
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — hasty
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. lean — to rest against

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