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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: shower · mug · cue · lean · cell · capital · bear · scale

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. shower — rain
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mug — a cup
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cue — a signal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mug — a face
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. lean — thin
  24. cue — a hint

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