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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 · shower · drill · mate · season · stick · rash · file

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — hasty
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lean — thin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. season — in sport

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