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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a ring
  5. shower — to wash
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tear — to rip
  10. file — a tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chest — of your body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — a box
  24. band — a music group

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