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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — there
  5. track — a path
  6. present — a gift
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. current — electric
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a tool
  13. track — a song
  14. present — the time now
  15. current — happening now
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. file — a document
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. current — of water
  24. file — a line of people

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