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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: shower · bound · tear · drill · squash · march · bank · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. shower — rain
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bank — of a river
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — certain
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tear — to rip
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. march — music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — the sport

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