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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spell — letters
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — thin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lean — to bend
  14. present — the time now
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — a gift
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — there
  24. tear — from crying

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