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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: bear · spell · cabinet · tube · cell · last · wake · shower

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — in biology
  8. last — final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — to go on
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — magic
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spell — letters
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cell — in a prison

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