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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: hide · club · shower · wax · suit · saw · stand · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. shower — rain
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. suit — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. suit — to fit
  23. club — a group
  24. stand — to bear

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