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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: lean · march · date · mug · cabinet · shower · row · leaves

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. date — the fruit
  9. row — a line
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. shower — rain
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lean — to bend
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cabinet — ministers

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