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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: bass · shower · fan · chest · stock · lie · rock · tube

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. tube — a container
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. shower — rain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rock — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — goods
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — to recline
  24. tube — the underground

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