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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: cold · face · cabinet · racket · shower · wake · wave · present

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — rain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. present — a gift
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — an illness
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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