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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: shower · file · net · stand · leaves · rock · pit · tear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. file — a document
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a line of people
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — a stone

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