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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: hand · bank · cabinet · shower · fan · last · pass · game

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — final
  4. shower — to wash
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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