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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: can · cue · bat · track · fan · leaves · shower · tear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — a path
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cue — a signal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cue — for pool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. fan — a supporter

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