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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: tear · cue · shower · pitcher · fork · arm · bay · craft

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — to rip
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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