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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 116 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: cue · lean · drill · pop · craft · shower · file · field

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pop — to visit
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — to wash
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — thin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. drill — army training
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a document
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — for sport
  24. shower — rain

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