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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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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: spell · shower · board · mug · foot · bear · lean · cap

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — of ice
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lean — to bend
  12. shower — rain
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spell — letters
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bear — the animal

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