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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 120 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: shower · suit · tear · pass · dip · rest · object · wake

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. suit — clothes
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — a break
  14. object — a thing
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — to fit
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. suit — in cards
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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