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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: shower · last · lean · racket · bear · fall · rule · can

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — thin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — government
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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