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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: bear · shower · bore · fan · rash · pitch · lean · face

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — to confront
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. face — part of the head
  10. shower — rain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — a series
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  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