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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: wind · shower · cabinet · squash · band · stock · tube · mug

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a ring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tube — the underground
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tube — a container
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mug — a face
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. stock — shares

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