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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: shower · foot · bat · charge · spring · race · cabinet · craft

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. race — humankind
  5. shower — to wash
  6. race — a contest
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. charge — electricity
  10. race — the arms race
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spring — a coil
  14. craft — boats
  15. bat — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — the season
  18. charge — a price
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — a measure
  23. charge — in control
  24. craft — a handicraft

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