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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
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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 · band · patient · bay · rock · pitcher · file · content

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. file — a line of people
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. content — happy
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a document
  24. band — a music group

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