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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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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: lash · track · bear · cap · shower · rest · rock · tear

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — of ice
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — a stone
  17. shower — rain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — a hat
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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