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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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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: stick · squash · shower · cell · cue · band · mark · rush

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cue — a signal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. shower — rain
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. band — a music group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — a thrill

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