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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — rain
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ground — a position
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — of water

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