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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 120 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. charge — a price
  3. saw — the tool
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. shower — rain
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — of water
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of a tree

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