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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: cabinet · bowl · wake · tube · rush · shower · band · stock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — a container
  6. shower — rain
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — hurry
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a ring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — before a funeral

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