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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: spring · stock · shower · tear · temple · ruler · patient · pop

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — to wash
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — to visit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. shower — rain
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stock — goods

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