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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: fan · shower · racket · prune · bank · pound · nail · dip

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bank — for money
  23. pound — for dogs
  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