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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · wake · ruler · tear · foot · shower · spring · mug

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. shower — rain
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — the season
  18. land — a country
  19. spring — of water
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mug — a face
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wake — a trail

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