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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: rest · board · shower · kid · mine · mark · cabinet · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — a committee
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. kid — to tease
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. kid — child

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