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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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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: fall · tear · object · swing · shower · perch · fan · wake

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. object — to protest
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. object — a thing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. object — an aim
  24. swing — music

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