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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 120 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: present · saw · spell · cold · arm · fork · shower · charge

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. charge — a price
  3. cold — not warm
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — the time now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cold — an illness
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. present — there
  18. spell — magic
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. present — a gift
  21. spell — letters
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — rain
  24. arm — a part of something

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