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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: lean · file · deal · shower · bark · cabinet · wax · mug

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — to shout
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a document
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bark — of a tree

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