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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 · shower · wake · rock · racket · degree · bay · current

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. current — happening now
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. degree — temperature
  6. current — of water
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — music
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — a stone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — from a university
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. shower — to wash

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