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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · fan · file · pound · shower · row · content · temple

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. file — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. file — a document
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — happy
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — a weight
  8. file — a line of people
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. temple — side of the head
  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