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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 · leaves · date · lie · tear · press · land · bark

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tear — to rip
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — to come down
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. press — a publisher
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — rain

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