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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: saw · shower · rock · club · deal · tear · season · bear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. season — of the year
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. club — a group
  17. rock — music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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