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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: ruler · tube · current · shower · mug · stock · bear · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — shares
  4. mug — a face
  5. current — happening now
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — of water
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — goods
  15. tube — the underground
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — a box
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mug — to rob

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