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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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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: club · shower · kick · deal · lean · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — a group
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lean — thin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — rain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. kick — in football

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