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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 116 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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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 · bore · rush · fall · game · shower · kid · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. shower — rain
  8. ground — crushed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ground — a position
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — the season
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kid — child
  24. rush — to hurry

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