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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.

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: charge · spring · land · shower · fork · stand · pop · kid

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — rain
  3. spring — of water
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — soda
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — to bear
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pop — music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — the season
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. land — a country
  24. kid — to tease

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