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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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Word bank
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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: ball · shower · tear · dip · club · ruler

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — rain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. shower — to wash
  11. club — a group
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — for golf
  15. tear — to rip
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ball — a round shape

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