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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 116 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: coach · hand · lean · object · chair · tube · shower · sharp

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. object — an aim
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — a thing
  13. sharp — clever
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — a container
  17. lean — to bend
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. object — to protest
  24. hand — part of the body

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