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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: degree · lie · bank · temple · shower · mine · club · tear

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — of a river
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — to recline

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