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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 124 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: season · shower · plane · charge · can · field · date · sharp

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — of the year
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. charge — in control
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. can — a tin

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