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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: rest · arm · degree · cue · shower · spring · mouse · leaves

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spring — the season
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cue — a signal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — rain
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mouse — the animal

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