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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.

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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 · stand · staff · key · rule · capital · shower · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. capital — money
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — a line
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. shower — rain
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. staff — a stick
  17. capital — a city
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. key — for a lock
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. rule — to rule out

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