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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: tear · hide · board · wax · snap · shower · coach · bank

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. board — a committee
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bank — for money
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — to rip
  10. shower — rain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — to get on
  24. coach — a trainer

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