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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: bass · can · shower · track · tear · sharp · cue · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cue — for pool
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — to be able to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cue — a hint
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — the fish
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — low music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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