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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: mine · mouse · fall · shower · rock · object · chest · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. object — an aim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. object — a thing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — to protest
  23. rock — music
  24. fall — to drop

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