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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 116 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: mark · hide · bass · last · field · shower · file · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — to go on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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