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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: bay · tube · wind · shower · pitcher · fan · bank · root

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. shower — rain
  6. bank — for money
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — a container

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