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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: content · shower · leaves · fan · nail · lean · firm · racket

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. firm — steady
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. firm — decided
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — thin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. firm — a company

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