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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: mug · wind · chip · track · bear · stem · shower · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a face
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a song
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mug — a cup

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