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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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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 · hand · board · wave · band · foot · shower · dip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a ring
  4. foot — a measure
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to sink
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — rain
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lean — thin
  24. board — a committee

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