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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 120 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: craft · mug · prune · shower · bore · tube · fan · cell

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tube — the underground
  18. craft — boats
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — a phone
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cell — in biology

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