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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 120 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: saw · bank · shower · rash · game · prune · can · spell

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — a match
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bank — of a river
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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