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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · arm · spell · club · cold · temple · can · shower

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for golf
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tear — from crying
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. can — to be able to
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — rain
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spell — letters

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