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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. shower — to wash
  9. charge — in control
  10. fork — in a road
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — soda
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stand — to bear
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — a price

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