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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: leaves · shower · pound · sharp · tube · ball · foot · toast

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tube — a container
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. toast — bread
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. shower — rain
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pound — a weight
  24. shower — to wash

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