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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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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: wind · wave · date · foot · cue · lash · shower · hide

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. shower — rain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — to wash
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cue — for pool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — to turn a key

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