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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. plane — a tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. march — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. club — a group
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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