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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: rock · bowl · roll · fall · suit · rest · tear · shower

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. roll — a list
  7. fall — the season
  8. shower — rain
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rock — a stone
  14. suit — in cards
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. suit — clothes

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