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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: shower · board · nail · content · last · leaves · lean · race

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — humankind
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. shower — to wash
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — a contest
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — the arms race
  19. board — to get on
  20. lean — to bend
  21. content — happy
  22. last — finally
  23. lean — thin
  24. leaves — of a tree

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