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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 120 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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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 · dip · stand · shower · wake · kid · swing · key

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — a trail
  3. swing — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — in music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kid — child
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tear — to rip
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. key — the most important part

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