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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: can · drill · shower · field · pop · stand · file · chip

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stand — to bear
  12. can — a tin
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chip — to eat
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pop — to visit

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