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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: racket · leaves · hand · rock · bass · shower · file · field

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. file — a document
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. field — farmland
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. rock — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — in cards

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