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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: tube · last · saw · rock · bowl · scale · wound · shower

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. shower — rain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — a stone
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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