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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: present · stand · toast · kid · row · tube · mug · shower

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. row — a line
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stand — to bear
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kid — child
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tube — a container
  24. present — the time now

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