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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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468
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: temple · field · bass · pound · cue · bear · wake · shower

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cue — for pool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. shower — to wash
  10. field — farmland
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — the fish
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. shower — rain

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