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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. can — to be able to
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fan — a supporter

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