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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 · roll · wave · cabinet · face · rush · dip · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. roll — a list
  8. shower — rain
  9. roll — a cake
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. face — part of the head
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. face — to point toward
  24. band — a ring

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