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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: hand · tube · can · pitcher · spring · bound · shower · club

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — the season
  5. club — for dancing
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tube — the underground
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. club — for golf
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spring — of water
  21. club — a group
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — a coil

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