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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: spring · tube · mark · file · mug · land · leaves · shower

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. file — a document
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — ground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — a container
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mark — a trace
  12. file — a tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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