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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.

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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 · tear · deal · squash · plane · leaves · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mug — a face
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bank — for money
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. bank — of a river
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — to crush
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  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