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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 116 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 · shower · bank · bulb · plane · mine · clip · rock

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — to wash
  5. charge — a price
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — rain
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. charge — electricity
  18. clip — a video
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rock — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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