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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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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: land · shower · lie · lean · pitcher · rule · can · mate

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — a tin
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — thin
  16. rule — a law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — to come down
  19. shower — rain
  20. rule — government
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lean — to rest against

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