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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: mate · bank · hide · branch · ball · row · shower · rash

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — a line
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mate — a friend
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. branch — a division

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