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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.

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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: wave · lie · firm · shower · club · rock · tear · scale

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. club — for golf
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rock — a stone
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rock — music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — size or range
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — in music

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