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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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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 · roll · leaves · tube · rush · face · bank · branch

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. roll — a cake
  19. face — to confront
  20. branch — a division
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — to wash
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bank — for money

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