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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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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: foot · bore · band · can · tear · pitch · roll · shower

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. shower — rain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bore — to drill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a music group
  17. tear — from crying
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — to be able to
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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