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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: wake · mate · arm · file · shower · bulb · bear · mark

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wake — a trail
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a document
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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