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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
468
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 · spell · stand · game · lie · season · tube · trunk

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — a container
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — letters

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