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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: craft · bore · racket · shower · spring · bat · lean · bear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. craft — boats
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spring — the season
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bore — to drill
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. craft — a skill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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