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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. club — for golf
  3. spring — the season
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fork — in a road
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stock — shares
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spring — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — to wash
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. charge — a price
  24. wound — an injury

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