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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: cabinet · stand · can · bank · lie · game · pop · shower

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. can — to be able to
  8. game — a match
  9. can — a tin
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stand — to bear
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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