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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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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: mouse · cabinet · rash · hand · shower · cold · prune · coach

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — rain
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — an illness
  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