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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 116 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: bass · club · bowl · tear · degree · shower

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. club — for dancing
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bass — low music
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — to wash
  17. club — a group
  18. 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