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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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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: track · bank · prune · shower · kid · rule · cue · club

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cue — for pool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. track — to keep track
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rule — a law
  9. bank — for money
  10. track — a path
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. club — for dancing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for golf
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — government
  20. kid — child
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. club — a group
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bank — of a river

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