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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.

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: game · mouse · fork · field · present · bank · pitcher · shower

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. present — a gift
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. game — a match
  20. present — there
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — a garden tool

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