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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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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: stem · lean · fall · hand · track · rock · bass · shower

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — music
  9. track — a path
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lean — thin
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — low music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — in cards
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a song

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