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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bore — to drill
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — in music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. land — ground
  24. shower — to wash

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