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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 · spring · rule · bass · wax · shower · season · pitch

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rule — government
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. season — of the year
  16. spring — a coil
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — low music
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bass — the instrument

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