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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: cabinet · tube · nail · last · kid · charge · arm · shower

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tube — a container
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — final
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — rain
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — a price

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