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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: snap · tube · bound · roll · shower · stem · mouse · fork

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bound — certain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — a container
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. roll — a list
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. shower — rain
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. shower — to wash
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mouse — the animal

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