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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · race · tear · mark · shower · lie

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — rain
  5. mark — a grade
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — in a road
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. 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