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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: leaves · present · wind · board · shower · spring · bank · kid

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kid — child
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — a committee
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. board — to get on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. present — a gift
  15. shower — rain
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — the season
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kid — to tease

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