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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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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: vault · march · charge · land · shower · pound · cell · wake

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — electricity
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. charge — in control
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cell — in biology
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — music
  22. pound — a weight
  23. shower — to wash
  24. march — the month

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