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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 · shower · lie · cabinet · season · bore · wake · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a document
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. shower — rain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mug — a face
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a cup
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. shower — to wash

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