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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 116 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 · pitch · kick · plane · rash · bear · shower · present

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rash — a series
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — rain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — there
  16. kick — in football
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — a gift
  24. bear — the animal

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