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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: ball · bay · band · kid · shower · bank · rush · rock

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rock — music
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a ring
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rock — a stone
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a rubber band

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