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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: pop · shower · cabinet · wound · date · leaves · cue · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pop — music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cue — for pool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. leaves — of a tree

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