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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 116 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: hand · cold · wave · cabinet · bay · can

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. can — a tin
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wave — of the sea

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