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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: wake · field · bore · tear · ball · fan · shower · rash

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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. shower — rain
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. field — farmland
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — a supporter

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