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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 120 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 · staff · lie · can · fork · ground · wound · file

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a document
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. can — a tin
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — the earth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — to be able to

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