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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · capital · mine · cue · tube · mug · bulb · bowl

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mug — a face
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mug — a cup
  11. capital — money
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tube — the underground
  19. shower — rain
  20. cue — a hint
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. tube — in a tire

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