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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
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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: bore · shower · mouse · band · straw · season · race · lean

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bore — to tire
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bore — to drill
  17. season — in sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. shower — rain
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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