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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.

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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: spell · ground · mine · bay · tear · vault · march · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — magic
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ground — crushed

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