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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 116 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: pop · tear · lash · shower · wound · tube · stand · bowl

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. shower — rain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pop — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tear — to rip

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