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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: bank · shower · saw · rule · firm · stand · mine · roll

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. roll — a list
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. firm — steady
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. firm — a company
  9. bank — of a river
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. rule — government
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bank — for money
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rule — a law
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. roll — a cake
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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