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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: trunk · bowl · shower · deal · object · tear · mug · fine

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — to rip
  12. object — an aim
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. object — to protest
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — a thing

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