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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: march · bound · drill · lean · rush · shower · cabinet · fork

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lean — thin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bound — certain
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. march — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bound — tied together
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. lean — to bend
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. shower — to wash

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