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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: bass · shower · craft · wound · lie · tube · leaves · bowl

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — low music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — boats
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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