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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: shower · cell · cabinet · straw · cue · club

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cue — a signal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — rain
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cue — for pool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — a phone
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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