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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: shower · ball · bear · bound · kick · tube · foot · race

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — a container
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kick — in football
  12. shower — rain
  13. ball — a dance
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — certain
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. foot — a measure
  24. race — humankind

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