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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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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: object · spell · spring · stand · tear · jam · shower · field

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. object — an aim
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — of water
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — a subject
  15. stand — to bear
  16. object — a thing
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — the season
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spring — a coil
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spell — magic

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