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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 · rule · bass · deal · shower · file · bore · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — to handle
  4. shower — rain
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — low music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — government
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to drill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — to tire
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rule — a law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — the season

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