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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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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: pitcher · wound · file · cabinet · rash · mark · shower · mine

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — rain
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — a jug

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