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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.

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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: file · pop · face · branch · bat · bear · mate · shower

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. file — a document
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to point toward
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — to visit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — to wash

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