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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · date · shower · saw · file · root · band · scale

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a document
  5. root — the cause
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — to wash
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — size or range
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. shower — rain
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a tool

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