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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: kid · snap · leaves · tear · shower · hide · rock · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rock — a stone
  19. kid — child
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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