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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: cold · shower · bank · wake · bear · cue · fan · hand

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cue — for pool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fan — to cool the air

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