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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: hand · stand · wax · cue · coach · foot · date · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — to bear
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — to wash
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. foot — a measure
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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