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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: drill · tube · deal · bore · shower · land · bay · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — to handle
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. drill — army training
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. drill — a practice

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