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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: shower · tear · temple · ruler · safe · stem

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stem — of a plant

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