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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: cap · bass · mug · current · tube · wake · shower · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — a container
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — low music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. current — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. cap — of ice
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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