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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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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: cabinet · bowl · shower · deal · tear · file

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — rain
  7. tear — from crying
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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