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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. mug — a face
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bank — for money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. file — a document
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bass — low music

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