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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: drill · shower · dip · fan · lean · arm · tube · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lean — thin
  5. rock — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — rain
  12. drill — army training
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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