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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · shower · cabinet · lie · wave · mine · field · date

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — the fruit
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — farmland
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. field — for sport

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