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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: shower · lean · pound · rush · cabinet · perch · mate · last

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — hurry
  6. shower — rain
  7. last — to go on
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. perch — the fish
  13. shower — to wash
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — final
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to bend

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