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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: mark · nail · roll · staff · cell · spell · shower · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. tear — to rip
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — rain
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mark — a grade
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — in biology
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a trace
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. roll — a list
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cell — a phone
  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