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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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468
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: rush · stick · spring · fall · tear · shower · racket · fine

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — all right
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — of water
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fall — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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