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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: board · shower · rock · deal · toast · lean · bat · wake

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. shower — rain
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — bread
  13. rock — music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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