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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.

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: cold · march · cue · bear · shower · charge · wax · coach

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. march — music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — in control
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cue — for pool
  9. march — the month
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cue — a signal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — rain
  20. charge — electricity
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cue — a hint
  24. charge — a price

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