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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: object · trunk · cell · cue · bear · net · content · shower

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. object — a thing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cue — a signal
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. net — after costs

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