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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: tear · bowl · racket · swing · shower · bore · spring · rush

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — in golf
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — rain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bore — to drill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bore — to tire
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — the season

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