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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: leaves · file · ruler · shower · stand · spring · march · row

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. file — a tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. row — to paddle
  23. march — music
  24. stand — on your feet

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