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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 116 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: tube · drill · shower · fan · mug · file · march · rash

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a face
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — a container
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — music

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