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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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. drill — army training
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — to shout
  11. charge — in control
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a hint
  15. charge — a price
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — rain
  24. drill — the tool

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