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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: mate · snap · rash · charge · wound · deal · date · shower

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to click
  16. charge — in control
  17. mate — a partner
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mate — to breed
  20. charge — a price
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — to wash

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