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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 · bowl · ground · shower · mug · cell · present · cue

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — there
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cell — a phone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cue — a hint
  24. shower — rain

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