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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · field · leaves · cabinet · fan · can · cold · shower

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — rain
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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