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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: shower · rock · mine · lean · nail · can · foot · arm

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. can — to be able to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lean — thin
  12. foot — a measure
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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