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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: cue · fine · spring · stick · leaves · tear · bear · shower

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cue — a hint
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — rain
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tear — from crying

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