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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — low music
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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