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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: band · charge · foot · shower · fork · kick · pop · pitcher

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kick — in football
  6. shower — rain
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pop — music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — to wash
  15. charge — in control
  16. pop — soda
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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