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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: swing · band · bowl · straw · shower · bear · dip · lean

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. band — a ring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. band — a music group
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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