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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 124 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. bank — of a river
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — a stick
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. file — a document
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pop — soda
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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