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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: arm · spell · tube · pop · mine · mark · craft · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — for digging
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pop — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tube — a container
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — letters
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. craft — boats
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pop — soda
  24. spell — magic

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