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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: shower · firm · rush · calf · temple · file · mine · pound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — decided
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. firm — a company
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — steady
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a document
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rush — a thrill

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