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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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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 · hide · cabinet · nail · bear · straw · tear · shower

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. shower — rain
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bear — to put up with

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