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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 120 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: cabinet · mine · face · cue · wake · content · stick · shower

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cue — a signal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. content — the amount
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — to confront

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