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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 120 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: mate · lean · hand · shower · face · staff · bore · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — rain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lean — to bend
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — to confront
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — a partner
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mate — a friend
  20. staff — a stick
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  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