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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.

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: mate · mine · craft · charge · shower · prune · cell · pitcher

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — a skill
  12. shower — to wash
  13. charge — a price
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — in control
  19. shower — rain
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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