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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bound — certain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. root — of a word
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — the cause
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — an explosive

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