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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: mug · tube · straw · date · bank · dip · face · shower

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. dip — to sink
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mug — a cup
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — rain
  11. mug — to rob
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. face — to point toward
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a face
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — for money

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