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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: wake · net · shower · roll · foot · tear · fall · rest

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. roll — a list
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tear — to rip

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