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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 120 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 · tube · row · object · present · content · hand · mug

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. content — happy
  3. present — there
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — a face
  12. hand — help
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — a gift
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — a container
  19. shower — rain
  20. mug — to rob
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — the amount
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. object — an aim

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