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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. shower — rain
  17. rock — a stone
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lean — thin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — to move gently

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