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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: deal · march · stem · cabinet · shower · tube · racket · sharp

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — clever
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — music
  14. shower — to wash
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — a container
  17. shower — rain
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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