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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 · nail · bore · prune · present · fan · shower · rush

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tear — to rip
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — rain
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bore — gave birth

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