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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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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 · bank · fork · mark · sharp · wake · hide · band

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a music group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bank — for money
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a ring
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mark — a trace
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — clever
  17. shower — rain
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wake — before a funeral

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