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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — rain
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pop — music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of law
  8. object — a thing
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — shares
  12. shower — to wash
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. branch — a division
  17. object — to protest
  18. court — of a king
  19. cue — a signal
  20. object — an aim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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