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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: game · foot · shower · tube · band · bank · fan · dip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — the underground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bank — for money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — a container
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. dip — to sink

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