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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · bowl · track · chip · fork · hand · shower

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — for betting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — a path

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