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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. charge — a price
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wake — a trail
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. charge — in control
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to drill

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