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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: wave · bank · track · land · shower · pitcher · leaves · date

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bank — of a river
  8. track — a path
  9. land — ground
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — a country
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. land — to come down

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