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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — rain
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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