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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · calf · mine · snap · spell · shower · root · plane

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — magic
  5. snap — to click
  6. plane — a tool
  7. charge — a price
  8. root — of a word
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. root — the cause
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mine — for digging
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — rain
  24. plane — in geometry

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