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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: last · dip · deal · march · perch · game · bank · shower

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. perch — the fish
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. last — final
  7. bank — for money
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — to sink
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bank — for money
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. last — finally

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