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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 · sharp · wave · toast · bank · chest · rush · rock

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bank — for money
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bank — for money
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rock — a stone
  18. toast — bread
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — to wash

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