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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: season · rush · pit · shower · wax · chip · file · mine

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a document
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — in a computer

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