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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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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: deal · shower · pass · rush · ground · bark · file · rock

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a document
  5. rush — hurry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — rain
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — a position
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. file — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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