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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: mate · shower · fall · perch · tube · wound · file · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a friend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — a container
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mate — to breed
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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