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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
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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 · shower · temple · toast · leaves · coach · mine · bound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — rain
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. toast — bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. leaves — to go away

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