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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: charge · court · spring · deal · bulb · coach · fan · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. court — of a king
  7. shower — rain
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — for sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — the season
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — of law
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — a coil

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