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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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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: tube · wound · shower · season · tear · row · rock · arm

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tear — to rip
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. row — a line
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tube — a container
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — to wash

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