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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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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: band · tube · shower · bear · squash · chest · foot · pound

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chest — a box
  5. band — a ring
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — rain
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. bear — to put up with

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