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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: lean · shower · race · bound · date · scale · wave · snap

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. scale — in music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. race — the arms race
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. race — humankind
  18. shower — rain
  19. scale — size or range
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wave — of the sea

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