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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: saw · tear · cabinet · dip · bat · mate · shower · wave

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — a friend
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — to wash

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