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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: mug · shower · field · face · calf · bank · rash · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — rain
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mug — a face
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. mug — to rob
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to confront
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mug — a cup

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