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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · charge · bear · rash · tube · file · shower · coach

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. file — a tool
  7. charge — a price
  8. tube — a container
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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