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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 116 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 · object · shower · cabinet · fall · ground · spring · content

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — of water
  17. lean — thin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — to drop

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