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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: hand · shower · mouse · rest · tube · racket · capital · lean

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. capital — a city
  8. shower — rain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — help
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — money
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — to wash

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