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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 120 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: ground · cold · rush · cue · bay · band · shower · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cue — a hint
  8. firm — steady
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a music group
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cold — not warm
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cue — for pool
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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