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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · rush · shower · tear · perch · ground · land · key

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — a position
  4. key — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — a country
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — to wash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — for a lock
  24. deal — an agreement

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