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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: rush · stick · row · foot · cabinet · wake · shower · tube

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. rush — hurry
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. row — a line
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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