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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.

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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 · bank · march · shower · rash · lie · deal · last

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a tool
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rash — a series
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. lie — to recline
  19. file — a line of people
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — the month

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