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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: band · board · wound · face · cue · rash · shower · tear

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. board — a committee
  6. tear — to rip
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a ring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — rain
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — part of the head

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