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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: tear · bay · cabinet · wound · pitcher · object · shower · arm

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — to protest
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. object — a thing
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — a jug

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