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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cue — a hint
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. club — for dancing
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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