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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: bank · perch · cap · shower · bass · kick · bound · wake

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bound — certain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — low music
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — of ice
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bound — obliged
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — a trail
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — a hat

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