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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: toast · pound · date · tear · lie · shower · mug · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — the fruit
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. tear — from crying
  8. toast — bread
  9. mug — a cup
  10. shower — rain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — from crying
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mug — a face

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