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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: band · pitcher · plane · present · shower · club · file · mine

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. present — there
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. band — a ring
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — the time now
  11. plane — a tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. shower — to wash
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for golf
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — a jug

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