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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: sharp · kid · drill · lean · band · hide · board · shower

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — rain
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — army training
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lean — to rest against

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