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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: content · nail · cabinet · shower · bat · kid · wake · tear

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — a trail
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. shower — to wash
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. content — happy
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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