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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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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: tear · mouse · club · shower · charge · net · fork · chip

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — in control
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. club — a group
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fork — in a road
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — a price
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. club — for dancing
  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