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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.

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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 · wake · cap · swing · tube · shower · spring · last

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — in control
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — rain
  14. cap — of ice
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — a coil
  17. swing — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — to go on

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