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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · tear · shower · band · mug · bay · file · rock

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. band — a music group
  5. file — a document
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — for digging
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — music
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mug — a face
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — to rob

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