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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: tube · bowl · shower · lash · rock · date · rash · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — the underground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. tube — a container
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rock — music
  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