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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: rock · branch · ground · tube · row · shower · mate · cabinet

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tube — a container
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rock — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. row — a line
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — rain
  20. tube — the underground
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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