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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · hide · rest · bound · shower · lean · tear · plane

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. lean — thin
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tube — a container
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. shower — rain
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — the underground
  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