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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: clip · shower · rash · rush · board · bank · wave · mine

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. clip — a video
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rash — a series
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — for paper
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — belonging to me

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