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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 · hand · wave · march · arm · shower · bat · suit

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. shower — rain
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — help
  24. suit — to fit

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