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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
468
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: straw · file · wind · shower · tube · chip · stock · fan

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. file — a document
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — goods
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — to wash

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