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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 120 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: fan · cabinet · mine · chip · lie · shower · tear · file

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. file — a document
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — to rip

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