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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: game · club · wax · shower · branch · rule · bank · hide

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. branch — a division
  3. bank — of a river
  4. club — a group
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — for golf
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. game — a match
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a bank

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