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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: cell · suit · tear · shower · mine · present · mouse · bear

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. shower — to wash
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. present — the time now
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. present — there
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — rain
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mouse — for a computer

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