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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 116 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: cold · cabinet · shower · bear · wave · firm · present · trunk

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. firm — steady
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. firm — a company
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. firm — decided
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cold — an illness
  19. present — there
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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