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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 · tube · cell · wound · row · shower · deal · bass

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — a container
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — to paddle
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bass — low music
  14. row — a line
  15. shower — rain
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the fish
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — in biology
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. tube — the underground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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