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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: wake · band · rash · arm · bank · snap · hand · shower

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. band — a music group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. snap — to click
  7. hand — help
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bank — of a river
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. shower — rain
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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