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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to tire
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — low music
  14. shower — rain
  15. board — to get on
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the instrument

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