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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: perch · ball · net · cabinet · bank · shower · clip · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — after costs
  5. shower — rain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — for money
  18. ball — a great time
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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