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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: straw · shower · foot · lean · bowl · swing · mine · key

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lean — to bend
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. shower — to wash
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — a measure
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. swing — music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bowl — a dish

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