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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 120 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: nail · craft · foot · wound · shower · stand · tear · prune

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. shower — to wash
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. foot — a measure
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — boats
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — for a hammer

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