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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: cell · racket · rock · tube · mate · lash · shower · key

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rock — music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. key — in music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mate — a partner
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cell — in biology
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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