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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 · saw · rest · bulb · charge · land · temple · shower

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rest — a break
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — a price
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bulb — for light
  20. charge — in control
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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