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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 120 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: key · ball · perch · band · mate · shower · mouse · bank

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. shower — rain
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a ring
  9. bank — for money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bank — of a river
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a dance
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ball — a round shape

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