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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: fan · row · cold · bank · foot · kick · shower · tube

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. row — to paddle
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — a container
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bank — of a river
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cold — an illness
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cold — not warm
  24. row — a line

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