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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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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: club · wave · shower · rush · tear · racket · bear · cap

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bear — the animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — a group

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