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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a line of people
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. file — a tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — a path
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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