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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: temple · arm · shower · wake · pound · leaves · mouse · court

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. shower — rain

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