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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: shower · board · row · bank · hide · face · bass · can

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — low music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a committee
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — a line
  24. bank — for money

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