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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 116 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 · cell · cold · bark · pop · shower · stand · bulb

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — a container
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pop — music
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cell — in biology

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