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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: can · hide · track · object · game · shower · racket · tear

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. object — a thing
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — an aim
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a song
  16. can — a tin
  17. tear — to rip
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — to keep track
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. game — wild animals

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