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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 116 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 · leaves · trunk · lie · shower · bass · pop · band

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pop — music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cap — a lid
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — of ice
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. shower — rain

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