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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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. band — a ring
  12. shower — rain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

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