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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: saw · rush · board · last · cue · chest · prune · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. prune — to trim

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