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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: drill · shower · nail · mouse · stem · lean · bear · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — to wash
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pop — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. shower — rain
  13. lean — thin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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