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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: sharp · lean · stand · spring · mouse · band · ground · shower

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — a position
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spring — of water
  23. ground — the earth
  24. sharp — with an edge

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