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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: lean · cell · cue · shower · leaves · nail · cap · land

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — ground
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cap — a hat
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. shower — to wash
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. land — to come down
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a lid

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