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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. craft — a skill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — boats
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bass — the instrument

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