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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.

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: key · lean · arm · bowl · chest · land · shower · mark

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lean — to bend
  3. shower — rain
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mark — a trace
  11. key — for a lock
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — thin
  16. land — to come down
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mark — a grade
  24. shower — to wash

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