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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 · chest · object · content · shower · squash · jam · nail

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. object — to protest
  3. chest — of your body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. content — the amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. content — happy
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — rain

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