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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · charge · degree · staff · shower · snap

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. charge — in control
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — to wash
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. charge — a price
  12. degree — from a university
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. staff — a stick
  16. degree — temperature
  17. snap — to click
  18. staff — employees

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