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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: key · branch · wave · court · shower · mark · cabinet · tube

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. tube — a container
  24. key — in music

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