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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: dip · wind · shower · land · file · game · plane · bear

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. shower — rain
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. file — a line of people
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. land — to come down
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — a country

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