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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: shower · rush · season · stock · wax · mine · tube · cue

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — a signal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — in sport

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