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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 120 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: hide · leaves · can · shower · tear · saw · rest · pop

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rest — a break
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — soda

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