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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: can · mouse · tube · degree · shower · mug · straw · leaves

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mug — a cup
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — a face
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mug — to rob
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. shower — to wash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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