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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · file · bay · root · rush · shower · wake · hand

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. file — a tool
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rush — hurry
  5. file — a document
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. root — of a word
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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