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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: shower · tube · rest · cue · face · wind · current · bear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — of water
  13. rest — a break
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — electric
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. shower — rain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cue — a signal

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