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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · tear · trunk · lean · mouse · stock · hide · shower

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lean — thin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stock — shares
  24. mouse — the animal

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