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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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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: shower · plane · charge · chest · can · file · net · drill

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. shower — rain
  3. can — a tin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a document
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. can — to be able to
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — in control

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