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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 · cap · wax · cue · tube · bank · pitcher · clip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — for pool
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — the underground
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — a signal

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