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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: wake · tube · rush · shower · chip · prune · fine · mate

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mate — to breed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. shower — to wash

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