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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 · mine · bark · chest · current · squash · root · bank

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — the cause
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. current — happening now
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — to shout
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. current — of water
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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