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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · shower · wound · lean · stick · mark · firm · chair

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. firm — decided
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lean — thin
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. shower — rain
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — a series
  19. firm — a company
  20. shower — to wash
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — a leader

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