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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: wave · rule · tear · fork · shower · bowl

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. shower — rain
  6. rule — a law
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rule — government
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bowl — a football final

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