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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 116 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: saw · prune · shower · cap · ruler · wave · season · tear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — of the year
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — rain
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — in sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tear — to rip
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — with your hand

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