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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: shower · fan · can · pound · fall · pitch · tube · pop

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pop — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. can — to be able to
  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