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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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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: shower · tube · field · scale · mouse · hide · file · bank

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — to wash
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — a subject
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bank — for money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — of a river
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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