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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: rock · prune · hide · craft · land · shower · board · cue

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. craft — boats
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. shower — rain
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — a hint
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. board — a committee

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