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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: spring · foot · shower · temple · rush · bass · tube · vault

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — to wash
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — rain
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spring — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spring — of water
  24. bass — the fish

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