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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: roll · deal · shower · cell · mine · tear · vault · board

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cell — a phone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cell — in biology
  11. board — a committee
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. roll — a cake
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. board — to get on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mine — for digging

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