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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 116 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: shower · stick · lean · wave · mate · pit · bass · capital

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — a city
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — to breed
  12. capital — money
  13. mate — a friend
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. shower — rain
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — to rest against

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