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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: land · fan · chest · perch · charge · firm · shower · mark

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — a box
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. firm — steady
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — of your body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — rain
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — a country
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chest — of your body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. firm — a company
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — to come down
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — electricity

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