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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.

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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: trunk · mug · rock · wave · shower · rash · bear · bank

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mug — a cup
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mug — a face
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. shower — rain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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