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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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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: mark · shower · bore · band · tear · chair · lean · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. band — a music group
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mug — a cup
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — thin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — rain
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mug — a face
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a ring

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