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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: shower · capital · calf · racket · key · straw · rash · bank

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — a series
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bank — of a river
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. shower — rain
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. key — the most important part
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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