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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 · firm · rash · board · wound · bank · shower · pitcher

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. firm — decided
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bank — for money
  5. board — to get on
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. firm — steady
  11. shower — to wash
  12. firm — a company
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — a series

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