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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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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 · shower · chest · race · mark · leaves · rest · bank

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bank — for money
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — humankind
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mark — a trace
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chest — a box
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — rain
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — of your 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