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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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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — farmland
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bark — to shout
  14. field — for sport
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. file — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pass — a permit

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