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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: march · shower · tube · arm · last · mine · dip · fine

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fine — all right
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — final
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — to go on

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