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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: cue · cold · rock · stand · wake · mouse · shower · fall

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rock — music
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — rain
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cold — the Cold War

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