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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: bay · cap · shower · craft · charge · chair · spring · bear

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. charge — in control
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spring — a coil
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bear — the animal
  9. charge — a price
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spring — of water
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — the season
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. shower — to wash
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cap — a lid

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