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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: cue · shower · mine · bank · tear · tube · bass · can

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — a hint
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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