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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.

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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 · nail · shower · pass · tube · wind · leaves · last

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — final
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. shower — rain
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — a container
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wind — to turn a key

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