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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: dip · tube · stem · pop · fan · roll · bore · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — a container
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. roll — a list
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — music
  24. dip — to dunk

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