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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 · cap · spell · cue · hide · pop · drill · roll

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. roll — a list
  7. spell — letters
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pop — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a lid

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