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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: board · mine · lean · bowl · coach · scale · can · shower

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lean — to bend
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. board — to get on
  9. lean — thin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — rain
  19. scale — in music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mine — an explosive

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