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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: bank · kick · suit · shower · clip · fall · file · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. kick — in football
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. shower — rain
  8. clip — for paper
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a document
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bank — for money
  16. suit — in cards
  17. clip — a video
  18. roll — a list
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fall — to drop
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. file — a tool
  24. fall — to drop

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