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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — a path
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — of a river
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. track — a song
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bank — for money
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — in a tire

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