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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: band · suit · shower · bat · file · stand · lie · mate

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. suit — in cards
  9. file — a document
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. shower — rain
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a tool
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mate — a partner
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — in an idiom

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