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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: wind · spell · tear · bound · rush · shower · tube · pound

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — letters
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — hurry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — rain

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