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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: tear · track · mine · object · snap · pit · shower · mug

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. object — an aim
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — a face
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pit — a hole
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — rain
  16. object — a thing
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tear — to rip
  23. object — to protest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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