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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: wave · safe · band · cue · shower · rash · stock · field

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stock — shares
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cue — a signal
  11. band — a ring
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — rain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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