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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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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. shower — to wash
  8. club — for dancing
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — rain
  18. club — a group
  19. row — a line
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. club — for golf

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