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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · land · bore · bowl · rash · bank · shower · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. land — ground
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — to tire
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — a country
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bank — for money
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — to come down
  22. rash — a series
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cell — in biology

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