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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · toast · wave · season · object · tear · dip · march

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. dip — to sink
  7. march — the month
  8. toast — bread
  9. shower — to wash
  10. object — to protest
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — of the year
  16. object — an aim
  17. march — music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. season — in sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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