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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: file · lean · key · bulb · board · fine · saw · shower

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — for light
  6. board — a committee
  7. file — a document
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lean — to bend
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. file — a tool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. board — to get on
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — rain

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