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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 · bound · row · shower · pop · firm · temple · straw

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. firm — decided
  10. shower — rain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. firm — a company
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. firm — steady

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