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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — of a river
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a tool
  18. club — for golf
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rule — government

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