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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — for catching
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. net — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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