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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: tear · straw · bore · row · rule · bat · shower · can

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rule — government
  5. bore — to drill
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rule — a law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bat — the animal

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