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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: coach · shower · cap · ball · tube · prune · rash · chip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — rain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cap — of ice
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — a lid
  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