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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: tear · shower · sharp · track · jam · fall · cabinet · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. track — a song
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — a container
  15. fall — to drop
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — clever
  24. track — to keep track

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