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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: lean · spring · spell · shower · can · bark · lie · present

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spring — a coil
  3. shower — rain
  4. can — a tin
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lean — to bend
  13. present — there
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — of water
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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