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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: straw · sharp · rush · foot · snap · mark · bank · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — for money
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. shower — to wash
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bank — for money
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mark — a trace
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — dry grass

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