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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: track · bank · shower · land · bay · mate · wind · fall

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a song
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bank — for money
  10. land — to come down
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — a country
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — the season
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — a path
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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