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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: bowl · pitcher · deal · mate · shower · tube · rock · leaves

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mate — to breed
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — a container
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rock — music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — to go away

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