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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · spring · bore · shower · ball · bank · date · bowl

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. date — the fruit
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — for money
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — to wash

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