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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 116 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 · bulb · tear · stand · track · shower · racket · bat

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — to keep track
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — a song
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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