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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: spell · toast · pitcher · bank · shower · board · bat · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bank — for money
  11. shower — rain
  12. bank — of a river
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bound — certain
  24. bat — in an idiom

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