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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — of water
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — to cut
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — the season
  12. pop — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — soda
  19. clip — a video
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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