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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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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: club · safe · tear · shower · dip · squash · face · row

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. squash — to crush
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — a line
  7. shower — rain
  8. tear — to rip
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — part of the head
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. face — to confront
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. club — a group
  24. row — to paddle

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