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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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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: shower · tear · bat · track · bulb · ruler · season · ball

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a great time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. season — of the year
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bulb — for light

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