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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · suit · file · root · jam · bay · spell · clip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spell — letters
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a word
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. suit — to fit
  11. file — a document
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. shower — to wash
  14. root — the cause
  15. file — a line of people
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. clip — to cut

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