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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: bark · straw · shower · lean · lie · mate · deal · march

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mate — a partner
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — to handle
  12. shower — to wash
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — thin

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