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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: board · wind · leaves · cold · rash · cue · bowl · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — rain
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rash — a series
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — to get on
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. board — a committee
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — a flat piece

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