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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.

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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: bass · coach · cabinet · shower · cue · bear · fall · clip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cue — for pool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. clip — a video
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — low music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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