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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: shower · kid · root · craft · chest · bank · wave · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chest — a box
  8. root — the cause
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bank — for money
  19. root — of a word
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — child
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. craft — boats

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