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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 120 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: shower · pop · object · land · nail · rash · file · temple

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. file — a document
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. object — to protest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — a country
  10. object — an aim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — rain
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — a series

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