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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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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 · club · land · staff · mark · shower · ground

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ground — the earth
  3. file — a tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. mark — a grade
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — a stick
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — a country
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ground — a position
  17. club — a group
  18. ground — crushed
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — a trace
  23. land — to come down
  24. staff — employees

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