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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fall — the season
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — for digging
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bank — for money
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — for money
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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