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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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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: bat · swing · band · rest · charge · shower · craft · mug

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. swing — in golf
  3. band — a ring
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mug — a face
  8. bat — the animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mug — a cup
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — what's left
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a music group
  19. craft — a skill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mug — to rob
  24. swing — music

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