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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: kid · wound · shower · roll · can · file · content · suit

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — rain
  4. roll — a list
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — the amount
  17. suit — to fit
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. content — happy
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — clothes
  23. roll — a cake
  24. can — a tin

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