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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: band · pitcher · shower · tube · hide · deal · rest · lie

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — a break
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a music group
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lie — to recline
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a rubber band
  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