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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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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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. shower — to wash
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. spring — the season
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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