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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · bore · wind · fall · date · mug · shower · bark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. shower — rain
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — to tire

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