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

Word bank: bank · plane · shower · pit · file · lash · nail · pound

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bank — for money
  8. pit — a hole
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — a tool
  24. file — a tool

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