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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: drill · lash · hide · track · march · rest · file · shower

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. shower — to wash
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — rain
  16. march — the month
  17. track — a path
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rest — what's left

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