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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.

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: wake · ball · bank · march · rest · pitch · spring · shower

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — a break
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a great time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — the season

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