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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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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: saw · nail · bank · shower · club · rule · track · pitcher

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rule — a law
  7. club — for dancing
  8. track — a path
  9. shower — rain
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — a group
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rule — government
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. club — for golf
  24. rule — to rule out

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