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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the sport
  14. roll — a cake
  15. kid — child
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. roll — a list
  19. shower — to wash
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wake — a trail

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