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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.

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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 · club · trunk · shower · track · mate · capital · stem

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mate — a friend
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for golf
  12. stem — to come from
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. track — to keep track
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mate — a partner
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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