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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: file · pass · shower · land · hide · bank · season · field

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — a country
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. land — to come down
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — to wash
  17. file — a tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — animal skin

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