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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.

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: pop · file · straw · rest · net · shower · wake · patient

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — rain
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — to visit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — soda

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