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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: file · tube · net · spring · season · temple · lean · shower

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — after costs
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. spring — of water
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tube — the underground
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. file — a document

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