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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · shower · mine · lean · wave · chair · bulb · leaves

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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