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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — a group
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a cake
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. dip — to sink
  15. craft — boats
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. club — for dancing
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — a list
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — a sauce

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