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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: wound · shower · mine · cue · coach · staff · ground · date

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — a position
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cue — a hint
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — to wash
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ground — the earth
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wound — an injury

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