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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 · stick · bore · toast · shower · pop · row · mark

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — rain
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pop — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — for money
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a line
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bore — gave birth

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