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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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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: shower · fine · lean · spell · tear · bay · racket · kick

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fine — all right
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — to rip
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — in football
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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