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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: shower · toast · bore · fork · tear · net · hand · temple

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — rain
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tear — to rip
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — for catching
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. net — in sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hand — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. toast — bread

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